Release Day Blitz-Teach Me by Sloan Johnson

Two words stripped Austin Pritchard of the privileged life he’s used to. The moment he uttered the words, “I’m gay,” he realized there is no such thing as unconditional love. Now, he’s gone from traveling the world with his family to living on the streets trying to figure out how he’s going to stay in school.

A chance opportunity changes everything. Austin impresses the foreman and lands a job, but even more, he catches the eye of David Becker, who is determined to teach him that true love doesn’t come with strings.

The only thing David had as a child was love. His family struggled to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. That has driven him to stay focused on his goals; become a tenured professor at a university and save enough money to build a home of his own. It’s not until he sees an insecure college student working on his new house that he realizes that he hasn’t planned on someone to share his life with. He’s about to learn that everything he’s already accomplished is nothing compared to the task of making Austin see that he is worthy of love.

Excerpt

David overturns two buckets and sits on one of them. I cautiously follow suit and sit on the other. “Were you serious last night when you told Bill that you were interested in working for him this summer?” David asks.

“Yes, sir,” I respond, wondering why he’s asking me this. It’s not like it matters to him, but the way he leans in as he talks to me, I start to feel like he truly cares.

“Austin, you don’t have to call me sir. I’m just David, okay?” I nod and find a spot on the floor to hold my attention because I’m terrified to look into his eyes. He’s too close, too friendly, and already he makes me want things I shouldn’t with him. “Good. Now, I want you to come to dinner with me tonight.”

I stand so quickly that I kick the bucket out from behind me. Everything I’ve been thinking about David is obviously way the fuck off base because now he’s trying to bribe me. Fuck that. I storm down the driveway, ready to give up the only opportunity I’ve had to save myself because I’m not going to let anyone play games with me. Before I make it halfway to the street, David’s hand is wrapped around my arm, pulling me back.

The urge to spin around and deliver a jab to his chiseled jaw is somewhere just below the surface. I clench my eyes closed, taking a few breaths as I remind myself there’s no one to bail me out of jail if I do hit him and he presses charges.

“Get. Your hands. Off of me.” Rather than listen to my demand, David’s grip tightens when I try to jerk away from him. Now, I’m pissed. I turn on my heel and shove David away. “I don’t know what fucked up game you’re playing, but I’m not about to be your little bitch boy. If me working for Bill depends on me being at your beck and call, tell Bill I’ll find something else. I’m not a whore.”

David stuffs his hands in the pockets of his oh-so-sexy, perfectly distressed jeans. And the arrogant fuck looks as if he’s about to laugh at me.

“Is that what you truly believe I am trying to do?” David asks. I swallow hard, regretting saying anything. No, I don’t really think David’s trying to buy me, but no other scenario makes any sense. “Austin, look at me.”

The tip of his finger crooks beneath my chin, forcing me to lift my gaze. What I see terrifies me more than the thought of trading my body for a job. David seems genuinely hurt by my accusation. Rather than apologize, I walk away. I’m not running this time, but I have to get someplace where I can sit before my knees buckle beneath me.

I sit on a boulder beside the house and David pushes me over as he settles back as well. “Austin, what is this about? Have I done something to offend you or make you feel uncomfortable?”

Has he? No. Yes. Fuck, I don’t know anymore. If I sit back and really think about it, he’s been nothing but kind to me. “No. Don’t mind me, it’s been a rough month and I’m a bit stressed.” I chew at the inside of my lip to stop myself from saying anything else. David can’t know why I’m stressed. Yes, I’m ashamed of my life as it is right now, but if no one else knows, I don’t have to see the pity in their eyes.

5 Stars

I absolutely love everything that Sloan Johnson writes. Teach Me is an M/m romance and it so wonderfully written. This is a story about acceptance, finding love and letting others in.

Austin Pritchard is a 20 year old college student who ends up living on the streets after coming out to his parents. He is determined to figure out how to make it on his own. His first day as a homeless kid he meets Casey and Bree, a homeless couple and they take him under their wing. Casey and Austin get a job helping clean up at a construction site and Austin ends up getting more than he bargained for.

David Becker is a 35 year old college professor who is finally building the house of his dreams with the help of his friend Chad. One day he stops at the job site and immediately takes an interest in Austin. He sees so much of his young self in Austin and wants to try and help him. Austin isn’t sure what to think about David’s persistence as he has never been in a relationship with a man. He is also ashamed of his homelessness and is afraid of what David might think about him if he knew the truth. Will these two be able to make a relationship work or will their insecurities push them apart?

“Stop trying to make this perfect for me. It already is because it’s with you. I love that you try to take care of me and make sure I’ll never regret anything we do, but that’s not possible. It’s because it’s you that I know I’m ready for this.” ~ Austin

I loved the connection between the two main characters. I loved that the story focused more on the relationship and less on the sex. It was very refreshing to read a book with minimal sex scenes. The ones in this book are very well done though. I also loved the side characters in this book and feel they added lots of depth to the storyline. I can’t wait to see what Sloan is working on next!!

Sloan Johnson is a big city girl trapped in a country girl’s life. While she longs for the hustle and bustle of New York City or Las Vegas, she hasn’t yet figured out how to sit on the deck with her morning coffee, watching the deer and wild turkeys in the fields while surrounded by concrete and glass.

When she was three, her parents received their first call from the principal asking them to pick her up from school. Apparently, if you aren’t enrolled, you can’t attend classes, even in Kindergarten. The next week, she was in preschool and started plotting her first story soon after.

Later in life, her parents needed to do something to help their socially awkward, uncoordinated child come out of her shell and figured there was no better place than a bar on Wednesday nights. It’s a good thing they did because this is where she found her love of reading and writing. Who needs socialization when you can sit alone in your bedroom with a good book?

Now, Sloan is a tattooed mom with a mohawk and two kids. She’s been kicked out of the PTA in two school districts and is no longer asked to help with fundraisers because she’s been known to lose herself with a good book and forget she has somewhere to be.

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